The present invention relates to ergonomic writing instruments, and more particularly to ergonomic writing instruments that fit portions of a human hand yet may be used by both right and left handed individuals.
Numerous approaches have been taken over the years to develop writing instruments that provide a better grip to minimize problems from prolonged periods of handwriting such as writing fatigue and the formation of calluses; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,794 issued Jul. 20, 1993 to Hochstetler, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 359,508 issued Jun. 20, 1995, U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,405 issued Aug. 27, 1996 to Krahn, U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,849 issued Oct. 15, 1996 to Greer, Jr. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,671 issued Apr. 13, 1999 to Bellue. One particularly effective solution is the ErgoPen(copyright) writing instrument, which is available from ErgoPen(copyright), Inc. of Berkeley, Calif., and is now being sold under the Sheaffer(copyright) brand name available from BIC Corporation of Milford, Conn. The body of the ErgoPen(copyright) writing instrument is designed to comfortably fit and conform with the general structural features of the left or the right human hand. Unfortunately, having a body that is specific to right or left handed users increases manufacturing and inventory costs, and renders the writing instrument unsuitable for certain environments such as retail or banking where pens are put out for general public use.
The present invention provides a writing instrument that fits or conforms to portions of the human hand yet is suitable for use by both left and right handed individuals.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a writing instrument is designed for use in either the right or left hand, the writing instrument having a generally elongated body comprising a writing section, a stabilizing section, and a grasping section. The grasping section is disposed between the writing section and the stabilizing section, and comprises a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface. The first surface and the second surface of the grasping section lie generally in a first plane and a second plane, respectively, and the first and second planes intersect one another about a plane of symmetry. The third surface is generally perpendicular to and generally symmetrical about the plane of symmetry, and further has a longitudinal contour for fitting one or more fingers, such as one of a group of finger types consisting of right and left index fingers, right and left middle fingers, and both right and left index fingers and right and left middle fingers.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a writing instrument having a body that is generally elongated along a longitudinal axis, comprising a writing section, a stabilizing section, and a grasping section. The longitudinal axis passes through at least portions of the writing section and the stabilizing section. The grasping section is disposed between the writing section and the stabilizing section, and has a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface lying generally in a first plane, a second plane, and a third plane, respectively. The first and second planes intersect one another about a plane of symmetry, and the third plane intersects the first and second planes and is perpendicular to the plane of symmetry and angled relative to the longitudinal axis.